Local News

MONTEREY COUNTY — King City, Soledad and Gonzales have joined the County of Monterey in a regional legal effort challenging the planned construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in neighboring Santa Clara County. Monterey County Board of Supervisors recently authorized the county...

SOLEDAD — Police Chief Patrick Valenzuela has left the Soledad Police Department after leading the agency for just over a year, with two longtime department members stepping into acting leadership roles. The City of Soledad announced Friday that it and Valenzuela “mutually agreed to conclude...

GREENFIELD — Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated honored three local high school graduates during its July meeting, presenting each recipient with a scholarship check. The recipients were Alejandra Villa-Hernandez of Greenfield and Kendyl Burpo and Thomas Storelli of King City. Villa-Hernandez is a graduate of...

VNA receives $100K grant to expand bereavement services MONTEREY COUNTY — Central Coast VNA & Hospice (VNA) has received a two-year, $100,000 grant from the Harden Foundation to expand free bereavement counseling and respite care services for Monterey County families facing the challenges of serious...

GONZALES — Anytime Fitness opened its doors in Gonzales with a ribbon-cutting celebration on July 21. The new gym is located at 851 Fifth St., the former site of the Gonzales Branch Library that is now at the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center Complex. Among...

Last weekend the venerable Stage Hands theater troupe delighted audiences with the opening of their summer production of “I Hate Hamlet.” The show is a serio-comic romp through the relationships and emotions of five very alive people and one ghost. Written by Paul Rudnick and...

SALINAS VALLEY — Two Soledad men were arrested Monday after law enforcement officers executed three search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into violent criminal activity in South Monterey County. According to the Soledad Police Department, the warrants were served at about 6:30 a.m....

SALINAS VALLEY — Community leaders gathered last week at Soledad’s Orchard Lane Park to celebrate the installation of new Inclusive Communication Boards in parks throughout South Monterey County, a regional effort aimed at making public spaces more accessible for residents with communication differences. The ribbon-cutting...

GONZALES — Gonzales Unified School District has appointed Keith Thorbahn as its next superintendent, effective July 21. Thorbahn previously served as principal of Gonzales High School, where the district said he developed a focus on academic achievement, student engagement and collaboration among staff, students and...

Native Plant Bootcamp planned in Salinas CENTRAL COAST — The UC Master Gardeners of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties will host the second annual Native Plant Bootcamp on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, 710...